Eyes fluttering open, Harry regained consciousness but found his entire vision to be blurry. The light of morning punctured through the heavy curtains. His hands slid across the unfamiliar bed he was resting on, but he found no comfort in finding nothing but the linen sheets he was covered with. A sudden noise from his right started him, and he instinctively dived to the left but found himself crashing into the carpeted floor.
"I'm so sorry for surprising you, Harry," a soothing voice cooed, "And for stunning you back then. The situation almost shocked me to death when I saw you on Nymphadora, I..."
The voice trailed off. Harry hesitated for a moment, but once he began to look around the scene, he was inclined to believe that the woman attacked him only to protect Tonks and her apology was genuine.
"Please give me my glasses," Harry said in agitation. The inability to see properly still filled him with anxiety.
"Oh, they were not there when we… found you, Harry. But I retrieved some contacts for you after we had run some tests on you to see if you were hit by... Well, it seems as though you only suffered minor scratches and a small fracture."
The blurry figure slowly walked around the bed. She quietly knelt down next to Harry and handed him a small cubic fluid filled container. Harry quickly applied the lenses on his eyes and was finally able to regain his vision
"Where am I?" Harry asked wearily.
"Ugh, I should have started with an introduction!" the woman shook her head, "My name is Andromeda Tonks, Nymphy's mother, and you are currently in our house, as you probably know by now."
'Nymphy?' Harry thought inwardly with a smirk. He had just discovered one of Nymphy's most guarded secrets. The reason for how threatening Tonks became when Harry tried to ask for her full name suddenly became apparent.
"I don't remember getting here," Harry said as he began to link the events together. Suddenly remember the circumstances of the previous events, Harry sprang to his feet.
"Where is Tonks?" Harry roared, now in full panic, "Her injuries! There was something strange in..."
"Everything is fine," Tonks's mother interrupted with a glint of tears in her eyes, "She is currently resting next door. Her wounds have been healed, but she is still suffering from the effects of blood loss. She briefly told us about what you did last night. Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me, Harry. Thank you."
Andromeda pulled the boy into a tight embrace, warm tears now freely falling from her eyes. Harry didn't know how to react, but he returned the gesture with a one-armed hug.
"Mrs. Tonks, sorry but I still don't fully understand what happened. How did I get here? No... I saw you come out the door from where we were attacked, but that is impossible."
Harry, who was hyperventilating from the confusion, pulled away from her arms and struggled to get to his feet. Hundreds of possibilities sprouted into his head, but each one was discarded as quickly as it came. Harry now remembered the flames which seemingly erupted from his hands and the nauseating sensation he felt as he touched Tonks in the decisive moments. Both events could be caused by hallucinations, but nothing answered how they escaped the three assailants, and nothing explained why they are in Tonks's house and not the hospital.
"Please wait a moment dear, let me get my husband so we can explain everything to you." Mrs. Tonks gave Harry's shoulders a tight squeeze and quickly left the room.
Now with full control of his sight, Harry slowly examined the entire room. It was rather a small bedroom fitted with a single queen-sized bed that took up most of the space. There was a bedside table right behind Harry, and the curtains to his left were thin but comforting. To the opposite side of the room stood a double door closet and the entrance to the room. But something seemed a bit strange to Harry. The walls were painted in a dark shade of blue, but there were three rectangular patched on the wall with a lighter shade, indicating that they were recently covered by posters of some sort. Looking closer, there was a ripped corner of a yellowing poster stuck to the wall with a piece of tape, and it was clearly a result of somebody removing it in haste. The room was void of any pictures and memorabilia, but the lack of dust on any surface indicated that the room was in regular use. Somebody was trying to hide all the posters and framed pictures, for no apparent reason which he could think of, and he did not like that at all.
Opening the curtains, Harry discovered that the window faces the front of the house. The driveway and sidewalk were comfortingly identical to the ones he collapsed on yesterday, but this street was alien to the boy. Harry did not understand how he and Tonks appeared at a street he never visited before when, only moments before, they were around the vicinity of his shop, a district Harry knew like the back of his hand.
Harry reached back and sat on the edge of the bed.
'This street is nowhere I have been before,' Harry thought, 'Its definitely not three blocks away from my store, and the coincidence of Tonks' parents living here makes even less sense.'
The illogical nature of the chain of events danced in his mind like a gloating villain who won the battle against his sanity. His anguished thoughts were interrupted when Andromeda and a man, who Harry presumed correctly to be her husband, entered the room.
"Harry, this is my husband Ted," Andromeda said gently as she tugged Ted's arm, "We have some news for you, and we know it will come as a shock."
Ted nodded in agreement, but Harry remained silent and motionless. "I was in your exact same position, well maybe not as extreme, when somebody first told me about it. And I have to say, it came as a shocker. But please save any objections and questions after we tell you the whole thing, and please understand that we are not trying to trick you in any way."
Harry wearily nodded at the two standing by the opposite end of the bed. The boy was already prepared for an extraordinary answer, even without the indication from their tone. He desperately needed to find a missing link to the seemingly impossible turn of events and was willing accept almost any seemingly okay answer.
Seeing that Harry was prepared, Ted continued. "Nymphy told us that you grew up... ordinarily, so this may sound completely insane. There are many myths and legends in the world that are based on truth, although many are exaggerated, even though the truth is one that people would normally reject. You see... Andi, you must help me out here. I don't know how to break it to the boy."
Andromeda shot a dangerous glare at her husband and one shook her head indicated her thoughts of his incompetency.
"I think it would be better if you tell him, dear," Andi glared, "It would do his good to hear it from somebody who was 'in his exact position' as you so adequately stated."
Ted sighed and nodded in defeat. "Ok, just please try not to freak out Harry. You have read or heard of the old tales of wizards and witches and how people in the past practiced witch burning? Well, they are real. I mean of course the witch burnings were real, but the existence of witches and wizards is real."
Ted paused and observed Harry's reaction, but to his surprise, there was none. Instead, his eyes glazed over and he sat motionless in the spot. After a very long, and awkward for the Tonks, silence, Harry turned his head to Ted.
"So, these witched and wizards perform magic, and they have the ability to control fire and travel a great distance instantly?"
The Tonks were surprised at how well the young boy was taking the information. Andromeda's lips twitched when a flashback of Ted's reaction played through her mind. Ted, clearly sensing the thoughts of his wife, looked to his feet and blushed.
"Yes, Harry, we do have those abilities, but they are more like skills you develop after repeated training. Magic is real, although we try to hide it from the non-magical world, and it can do both good and bad."
Harry nodded. As preposterous as it sounds, the explanation was the only one which answers every one of Harry's questions. He finally understood the how a wooden stick appeared to be a weapon, and how they had seemingly, or actually, teleported.
"I would like to see some proof, if you can don't mind," Harry said, mustering all the calmness he could, "You are a witch, am I correct in assuming Mrs. Tonks? And you must be non-magical, Mr. Tonks."
Both the Tonks nodded, not expecting the first words coming out of the young man to be those. Had he started screaming or dismissing the notion completely would seem normal to the two adults, but his calmness left them in disbelief.
"Please call me Andi."
"And please call me Ted. We cannot even express how much you have done for us by selflessly saving our daughter. There is no way we can ever repay you, and please don't feel as though you must be overly courteous and polite to us. We already consider you a close friend, even family, if you will have us."
"Thank you, Mr... Ted, Andi. I did what anybody would have done, so there is no need for repayment or anything. I am lucky to have Tonks as a friend, even though we have only known each other briefly, and I would have done anything to see her safe."
After hearing those words, Andi buried her head into Ted's shoulder and released a few silent tears while Ted, eyes shining with gratitude, nodded at the boy.
"You are a very special man, Harry," Tonks said, "Many people in your position would have instantly abandoned our daughter, especially under the circumstances she had told us about. I can't say thank you enough times to tell you just how grateful we are. Thank you."
Harry frowned but nodded his head.
"You are welcome, Ted, but I must say that your daughter was the one who got us out of the trouble."
After a short display of emotion, Andromeda composed herself and wiped away the tears on her face.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she whispered, "You must still be waiting for some proof of magic."
The sadness in the room instantly disappeared as Ted began to chuckle. "I still remember how well I took it after I saw your demonstration. Can't imagine what he is feeling right now. Must think we are two nutters, but is too polite to point it out."
Hearing her husband's words caused Andromeda to be overcome by giggles of her own. Her tears quickly faded and her mood brightened.
"You always know how to cheer me up," Andromeda pecked Ted on the lips, "Now for that proof."
Andromeda pulled out a wand from her back pocket. It was a different design and colour than the previous two Harry had seen, but the overall shape was very much the same. She swirled her wand in a circular motion and said: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Upon the completion of those words, Harry began to rise from the bed. Still in his seated position, but feeling the effects of being airborne, Harry flailed his arms and legs wildly in search of support, like somebody sitting on a falling chair. Now he truly believed. His visions, the fire, and the wands could finally be explained. It was simply magic.
Harry was slowly returned to the ground, and to his dismay, he had discovered Ted laughing hysterically while Andromeda was trying to suppress a smirk of her own. His reaction to floating had clearly been over the top.
"I believe you," Harry now smirking himself, "But why did you use two words from Latin roots? Would it not work if you simply said 'lift'?"
Andromeda blinked, clearly not expecting theory inquiry.
"You are very intelligent, Harry," Andromeda praised, "I can lend you a few books on basic spell casting and magic theory if you want to learn more later. Giving you an explanation right now will only confuse you even more... Just like that? How are you taking this so calmly?"
"Well, if you told me magic was real three days ago, I would have sought you medical attention… Sorry, that came out quite rude. But now, the existence of magic is the only explanation which ties everything together. I have to admit I'm still a bit reluctant to accept this."
Ted nodded at the maturity of the young boy sitting before him. "How old are you exactly, Harry? Nymphy tells us that you own a coffee shop around West End."
"I just turned fifteen. I don't own the shop, but my family has been running Fitzroy's Fountain for four generations."
The Tonks couple shared a glance and frowned. "Harry, did you experience any strange phenomena growing up? Do strange things happen when you experience very intense emotions?"
Harry knew exactly where Andromeda is trying to lead him, but he could think of nothing in his past that could even hint at magic. "From your question, I guess I really did produce the flames, but I have not done anything magical in the past. All of this is completely new to me."
"That is very strange," Andromeda said, "Is there any way we can contact your parents? They might be able to answer some of the questions we have."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, "Both my parents are normal, excuse me, well non-magical, and they have never done anything out of the ordinary, other than the summer trips they disappear on. Ugh... My brain is still clotting from everything that has happened since last night. You are asking about my birth parents. I have never met them in my life, and I don't know them whatsoever."
"It is possible that you are the first wizard in your family," Andromeda frowned, "But being a muggle-born, which is the term used for first-generation magic users, is very rare, and usually the families notice the inexplicable 'accidents' around the magical child, and you'd didn't receive the invitation to a school of witchcraft and wizardry when you came of age. Have you never experienced accidental magic at all? No changing your appearance? Surviving a very dangerous fall? Even trivial things like shattering a cup count too. You demonstrated an incredible amount of magic last night in the form of flames and the ability to shatter the wards which bound Nymphy from… Teleporting."
"None that I can think of," Harry answered, "Never before have I felt, if that's the right term, the magic like I did last night."
"Hmm... Do you know your birth name?" Ted asked, "Most of the magical families in Britain are related to each other. Your birth family name might give us a hint."
"That is luckily one of the only bits of information I have from my birth parents," Harry answered, a hint of sorrow-filled excitement shined in his eyes, "My birth name was Harry James Potter."
To Harry's great surprise, the both Andromeda and Ted gasped at his statement. They stood silently, stunned by the confession, and warm tears immediately began to fill Andromeda's already swollen eyes.
Sitting confused and worried, Harry shifted nervously, "I take it from your reaction that you have heard of my birth family before?"
Andromeda appeared to be completely dazed while Ted only nodded. Placing an arm around his wife's waist to support her, the man repeatedly opened and closed his mouth indecisively, not being able to formulate the appropriate words.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Harry," Ted slowly replied, "It's just... the everybody thought you were gone, Harry."
"What do you mean?" Harry now agitated, "Why would you know who I am - was? Please tell me, the two of you are starting to scare me right now."
"I am so sorry, Harry," Andromeda immediately replied, snapping out of shock, "I don't even know what to say at this point. You disappeared fourteen years ago. I don't... Ted go contact McGonagall right now."
Harry sprang to his feet and signaled for Ted to stop. "I don't know what is going on here, but I demand an answer right now. The two of you do not appear as though you wish me harm, but after last night, I don't feel comfortable with you going off to contact some stranger immediately after I share my birth name with you."
"You are right," Andromeda composed herself from her slight panic, "I am sorry, but you don't realize how much shock and surprise you just gave us. I am not in the place to tell you everything, not because I don't want to, but because I don't know the whole truth myself. I will tell you everything that I know, and we will tell you what we plan to do and who we are contacting after I tell you why this is very important if that is acceptable to you."
Harry agreed with Andromeda, but his mind was still on high alert. Not being able to see Nymphadora yet was not reassuring to him at all.
"The details of the events that happened fourteen years ago is still up to debate, but some general facts are very well known. There was a criminal, a Dark Lord in the magical world, who was raging a war against the rest of Magical Britain. That monster was a blood supremacist, and he believed that purebloods, people whose lineages are entirely magical, are better than anyone else. This notion is entirely absurd, but many wizards and witches still followed his beliefs and his command. Your parents, James and Lily Potter, were part of an organization fighting against the Dark Lord. On the night of the Halloween fourteen years ago, the Dark Lord found where your parents were hiding and murdered them."
Andromeda paused the narration for it all to sink in. She was weary over how Harry might react over the news, but his expression betrayed no emotion that he was feeling.
"And you, Harry, survived the Dark Lord. He used a vile piece of magic called the Killing Curse, and you somehow survived and banished the Dark Lord."
"So who left me on the sidewalk on that Halloween?"
"That person," whispered Andromeda, "Was Albus Dumbledore. He was the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - the Harvard of the magical world - and is still the most powerful wizard alive. He usually takes matters into his own hands and often stood above the law, but always with good intentions. When you were eleven, you were supposed to receive an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, but, as you are very well aware of, you never did get one. Most of the wizarding world had faith in Dumbledore when he said you were in a safe location, but when you never registered for Hogwarts, people started asking questions."
"Do you mean to tell me that nobody tried to contact me during the ten years?"
"Sadly, yes. You see, everyone looked up to the man. He was the so-called leader of the light. Nobody doubted his judgment or his words or had any doubt when he said you were safe. And people were reluctant to investigate anything concerning the war. They are still scared of the evil that had once sought to destroy us, and they would do anything to forget and feign ignorance. Only when you failed to re-enter the magical world at the age of eleven did an official investigation take place. They discovered that the relatives Dumbledore left you with had never seen you, and further questioning of witnesses revealed that he left you in alone in a basket on your relatives front porch. he left you there on a porch! And Sirius! Sirius he... I will let him tell you his story..."
The sadness of the tale and the guilt she felt towards Harry, now that he was her daughter's saviour, proved to be too much for Andromeda to handle. The woman locked Harry into another embrace and wept onto his shoulder.
Harry patted the crying woman awkwardly, but his weariness of the Tonks family had disappeared.
"So what happened to Dumbledore?" Harry asked Ted.
"Well, the investigation led the ministry into believing he committed treason. He fled prosecution when the charges were made, and the only other time he had been spotted was only a few months ago when..."
Ted looked at Harry nervously, clearly believing that the boy might not cope well with the information.
"I really want to know."
"Okay. But this is only his claim without solid evidence: Dumbledore claims that the Dark Lord is back."
"Strange coincidence," Harry said nonchalantly, "Given that I am now 'back' in the magic world about the same time as this Dark Lord. If you don't mind, I would like to learn more about it if possible"
Pulling away from the boy, Andromeda nodded while wiping away her tears.
"Sorry for being so emotional. I'm usually very well composed."
"Too well composed!" Ted interjected, earning him a swat on the arm. "Cold even..."
"Anyway, we do have a few books about the downfall of the Dark Lord. I'll fetch you those in a bit, and I believe Sirius, my cousin and your... we can talk about that later, well he has a large library on the events of your parents' deaths. He was a very close friend to them. We will be contacting him shortly, with your permission of course."
"This is a lot to take in, but I would like to learn more from him, especially about my birth-parents" Harry nodded, "Who is this McGonagall that you wished to contact?"
"She is the current headmistress of Hogwarts. She took over after Dumbledore fled, and she has been actively trying to find you. I can vouch that she has no ill intentions towards you, and she is currently the most useful person you can have by your side. Oh, I can't wait to see her face when I bring her to meet you!"
"How does she know I'm still alive? Shouldn't I be presumed dead?"
"There is a magical bank called Gringotts. They are the solely responsible for the fortunes of the majority of the ancient and noble houses. Your family, the Potters, is one of them. Gringotts have very complex blood magic placed on the family vaults, so they can detect if the person trying to access the vault is actually part of the family, and they can also detect whether or not the family's bloodline has ended. Since you are the last Potter, and the bank stating that the Potter lineage is still kept alive, this means you had to be alive."
Harry slowly nodded. There was too much for him to learn and so little time. Every question he asked raised a series of new ones.
"Thank you for taking the time and explaining all of this to me. To be blunt, I'm finding it hard to believe in the existence of Dark Lords and secret societies."
"Definitely, it is very strange at first. But you will soon see that what we have told you is only the tip of an iceberg" Ted replied, "I'll go contact Sirius and McGonagall right away, and I will get you the heap of books Andi gave me when I was introduced to the magical world."
"That would be greatly appreciated, Ted," Harry smiled.
"Stop being so formal and polite!" Andi scolded, "We are above these courtesies. Now I bet you can't wait to see a certain somebody. I need to warn you, for your own good, that the girl is a bit too childish for her age. I think you are more mature than she will ever be."
"I have to agree with Andi," Ted joined it with a smirk. "I think we've tied you here long enough. Feel free to explore the house and stretch your legs. The washroom is the first door to the right."
The boy was thankful when he finally managed to excuse himself from the room and tried to take as long as possible in search of 'the loo.'
Note:
For plot purposes, Ted Tonks is a muggle-born.
In this world, the disappearance of Harry Potter in the early years created a cascade of events including the early release of Sirius Black and the deaths of a few characters.
